Feast on his Flesh
by Ris'on I'inekin Tyaedairgue
Summary: AU. Minor OOC. KagaMido. Midorima gets banished out of his hometown and not knowhing anything about the world, he nearly wanders into the desert. On the border of savanna and wasteland, when he's on the verge of dying, he meets a guy named Kagami, who offers help. Midorima, however, has no clue what has he gotten himself into when he accepted.
1. Chapter 1

**Hehehehehehehehehehe. Heheh. Heh. *cough***

**(Though the title sounds promising, nobody's going to literally eat pieces of somebody else's body. No cannibalism or something like that.)**

**As some of you know, I'm a bit, just a tiny, little bit touched in the head. Crazy. Mad. Weird. And I love myself that way. This pairing is quite unusual here on this site (don't know why), which means I want to write it no matter what.**

**Plus I love the plot, of course.**

**And I'm going to be the least OOC I'm able to.**

**AU. In case you haven't realised that. **

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><p><strong>Feast on his Flesh<strong>

Though the sun was about to set, its rays were still too hot and Midorima hated that. Not too long ago, he was the most favorite seer in his hometown. Unfortunately though, when the stars told him that the lucky item of a day is a dozen of elephants, he somehow didn't realise that they don't have to be alive. They could be stuffed. Or carved from wood. Or they could be a part of an accessory, like beads or something. No. He just _had _to search for real elephants and because he did, so did those who believed him... and suddenly, there were many and many dozens of elephants all around the city. Running loose. The government had him banished from the country because of this.

No, definitely not a lucky day for him. But on the other hand, the prophecy written on the magic stones he used that morning said that that wasn't a good day for no Cancer that walked the Earth. So technically, he was right.

But right now it has been two weeks... hold on, two weeks and four days and he was out of food and water. He, being absolutely unexperienced in travelling, chose his direction randomly and now he was in an area where was no water and the savanna started to slowly turn into a desert. There were still bushes and grass, but the plants and herbs he knew were long since gone and he had no knowledge of what is edible in this kind of environment. He didn't want to die of poisoning. Sure, he tried to find something, he was almost ready to eat beetles and worms, but he couldn't find them, either.

And yet, the stars from yesterday's night were favorable to him. They said that he'll get lucky soon, but for once, he thought otherwise. To be precise, he thought he should have learnt how to find the right way according to the stars instead of foreseeing.

Sighing, he looked around, searching for a good place to spend the night. The sunset was rather quick out there in the plains, that was something he's already noticed, and so he settled down on a small round opening between the bushes, hoping that there won't be too many mosquitos. Originally, he intended to make a fire, but as soon as he sat down, his body gave up and he fainted face-flat on the yellow grass.

What woke him up was the sheer absence of sound. Normally, the steppes were full of minor noises that got louder at night, mostly insects, especially cicadas started to make their usual sounds after the sun disappeared behind the horizon. But right at the moment, as he opened his eyes, he didn't hear anything but deep, dead silence. For a moment he thought he'd gone deaf, but when his breath hitched at the thought and he heard it, he was relieved. "Ow," he hissed as he sat up slowly; his whole body hurt, he kept on walking and walking for hours and he was not used to it. His hands and feet were all bruised, his shoes were already gone, too. For some reason, now the insects renewed their activity and started chirping.

Rubbing his face, he looked up. It was dark, not pitch dark because nights aren't that black, but dark enough for him to not see anything but the sky. And something quickly moved in the shadows and disappeared before he could even guess what it was. _A hyena? Or a lion? Definitely not a human,_ Midorima shuddered, suddenly frightened, but whatever it was, it was gone. And in front of the green-haired man, there was a large bowl of water and a huge piece of meat on some leaves so that it wouldn't get dirty.

"Oi! Is anyone there?" he yelled, but no response came and he only almost inhaled a mosquito. He coughed and spat on the ground, but his eyes never left the food and drink in front of him. He knew he should drink and eat slowly, because if he caused a shock too big to his body, he might die anyway... plus he needs to cook the meat, there was no way he was going to eat it raw. He was never really fond of cooking (by himself for himself), he always had people to do that. But he assumed he might be able to do as much.

He grabbed a tinderbox from his backpack and started to search for a few pieces of wood to start a fire. Before he tried anything, he cleaned a small spot on the ground, because the last thing he wanted to do was to set the steppe on fire. It wasn't hard to make the twigs flame up, and soon, he was trying to adjust the meat on a longer stick, hoping that he'll be able to not burn it. His stomach was asking for attention at the smell of the meat roasting, but he didn't want to rush with it. The heat from the fire was meant not to only make the meat more edible, but also to disinfect it.

However, when the meat didn't look exactly raw and when his stomach made another tortured groan, Midorima gave up. Still though, he was eating slowly and drinking (after he made sure that the water isn't anything weird and really is just water) even slower and only small sips. After he finished, he looked up at the stars again for the last time that night, and he fell asleep right after he put down the fire.

Little did he know that there was a shadow watching him from afar while he was sleeping.

The morning came soon and came the most unpleasant way it could. "Oi, you. Wake up." Somebody's rather rough and stingy voice echoed through his ears.

"H... Huh?" Midorima opened his eyes. There was a tall redhead in front of him... more like above him, staring right into Midorima's face. Before the seer could say anything, the stranger continued: "What are you thinking, falling asleep out here in the open. You were damn defenceless. There are wild animals around here, you are lucky you weren't eaten."

Midorima sat up with another silent whimper; his body was really sore, but he was feeling a bit better than yesterday. The food that miraculously appeared there yesterday really helped. "You..." he looked up, "are you, by any chance, the one who gave me the food and water that I found here yesterday?"

The redhead sighed and shook his head. "Hardly. And are you telling me you ate what you thought somebody gave you? You're either crazy or going mad, because nobody in their right mind would do that."

"The stars haven't foretold my death, so I ate it," Midorima responded and got up. The man gave him a strange look, but didn't react to that, instead, he said: "The name's Kagami. And by the rules of the savanna, I'm getting you out of here."

"I'm Midorima." He eyed Kagami; that guy looked like a nomad or something, according to what he was wearing. The strange thing was, he obviously came here on foot, there were no camels or other riding animals in sight. And he had no backpack or at least a bag, either. "Are you camping around here somewhere?" he asked, because that seemed like the only explanation. However, Kagami immediately answered: "No. And if you're done with staring, we gotta move already, before the sun rises too much and it'll get too hot."

"Right..." Midorima said, not wanting to poke that matter anymore, and he started grabbing his things. When he was looking for the bowl that he had water in before he drank it, he couldn't find it, and another question appeared. Where the hell did it go when Kagami can hardly have a bowl that big hidden on him somewhere. There were no shards, either, so that meant the redhead didn't break it.

When Midorima stepped out to follow Kagami, he hissed. His feet hurt, walking barefoot through plains was a bad idea, though he had no clue where was he supposed to get a pair of shoes. Though the whimper was very silent, the nomad heard it and turned around to see what was up. "Oh no. You're not gonna tell me you've got no shoes or anything." He stepped closer to the seer and grabbed his hands. "Plus your hands aren't any better. Were you trying to use them instead your feet?" Midorima wasn't going to answer that, and Kagami was not expecting an answer anyway. While he was talking, he already ripped off his sleeve and using his teeth, he tore it into a bandage of sorts. "Gimme," he ordered and before Midorima could protest, the redhead ripped the bandage in two similar straps and wrapped them around each of Midorima's hands. "Now for your feet," he added and repeated the process.

"What are you doing, goddamnit?" Midorima finally managed to overcome the shock when Kagami was wrapping his left foot. The redhead's eyes gleamed sharply and the nomad answered: "I don't want to have to drag you. Just a while ago, I swore by the laws of the savanna and I ain't gonna break my oath."

From that moment on, Midorima didn't say anything and just let Kagami do whatever he considered important. This man was for some reason kind th the wreck Midorima turned into, and it didn't seem like he'd let the seer wriggle out of it.


	2. Chapter 2

**Komm schließ die Augen glaube mir**  
><strong>Wir werden fliegen übers Meer<strong>  
><strong>Ich bin nach deiner Liebe so krank<strong>  
><strong>Die sich an meinem Blut betrank...<strong>

**Oh, what a song. And yes, I'm listening to German songs while writing an English story. And Latin, and old Irish, and Galician... all by the same band. :D**

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><p><strong>Feast on his Flesh<strong>

Midorima wriggled nervously and looked around. He knew Kagami was not around at the moment, and so the seer decided to make a quick... prognosis. To take a short look into his closest future. The stars were good, but not accurate enough, so Midorima took a few pebbles and made the easiest foreseeing he knew, for the closest future. He was sure something had to be wrong, especially about Kagami. The nomad was the strangest person Midorima's ever met, and considering Midorima was a seer...

He said outright that he'll be the one standing guard at night because Midorima's unexperienced. That alone wouldn't be weird that much, but Midorima woke up twice that night because he drank a lot and had to... let the water go, and he could never see Kagami anywhere around. But in the morning the redhead was there and didn't act... more strange than the day before, or the day they've met. Still more or less the same, either ordering Midorima around or being silent. They didn't have any common topics in particular that they would know about and Midorima couldn't bring himself to ask questions. There was something strange about Kagami that the seer could not decipher, and it was scary somehow.

The nomad disappeared right after the breakfast that he made and was nowhere to be seen ever since. The place they were camping at was a nice one, there was a river flowing nearby and as Kagami said, the water was drinkable. Thanks to the water, there was more grass and bushes and trees... and insects. It felt like they are slowly leaving the wasteland and coming closer to fruitful land. That was good, but the longer was Midorima with Kagami, the more uneasiness he felt. He'd like to go his own way as soon as possible, but either he really wandered off too far and wouldn't be able to get to safety... or Kagami was purposely making their way as long as he could. That latter was less probable, since they didn't know each other at all and the redhead would have no reason to do that; however, Midorima was starting to get the feeling that Kagami's really dragging out the time they have to spend together.

The problem was that though every kind of prophecy Midorima tried said the same, that Kagami is not a threat to Midorima's life, the seer couldn't help but feel otherwise. Kagami's presence alone was unsettling, Midorima felt like he's a prey, like he's going to be eaten. There were times when Kagami looked at the other and there was something hungry in his eyes, like he was usually hiding it and let his guard down for a moment.

"Whatcha doin'?" echoed behind him suddenly.

"Gya!" Midorima jumped. "Don't sneak up on me like that, for fuck's sake!" He turned around and looked at Kagami, who was standing there like he never left. The redhead tilted his head curiously to the side, repeating: "I asked whatcha doin'."

"Nothing much," Midorima mumbled and started collecting the pebbles. "Where have you been since morning?"

"I was searching for lunch," Kagami grinned. Only now it came to Midorima to look at what the nomad was holding in his hands. It was a huge piece of meat, oddly similar to the one Midorima ate three days ago, and when he almost unwillingly reached out and touched it, it was still _warm_. His hand jerked back and he felt a sudden urge to puke, but he fought it off. Still, his face took on a color that was quite similar to that of his hair. A lighter shade, but still green.

"I'm gonna cook it," the redhead said and grinned, it looked like he's amused by Midorima's disgusted reaction. The seer, who was feeling slightly nauseated, just shrugged his shoulders and looked away. Of course he was taking care of the fire they made in the morning to boil some water and finally make some herbal tea from herbs that Midorima found and actually knew, and he assumed a proper food would be nice since they had only some plucks yesterday that had no taste in particular. Midorima didn't know that plant, but Kagami said it was edible. And though Midorima hated being this dependent, he could hardly do anything about it. He laid down and closed his eyes in an attempt to calm his mind. He couldn't but freak out whenever Kagami appeared, though he always somehow managed to stay calm on the surface. He didn't even knew why he's scared of Kagami, it was an instinct and he wasn't able to control it.

Suddenly, he realised something and sat up. "Oi, Kagami," he said. "Where did you get that meat?"

"Huh?" The redhead looked up from the steak. "I killed an antelope. This is the ham."

"And what did you do with the rest of the body?" Midorima continued.

"I left it there," Kagami answered and turned back to his work, not intending to continue the conversation.

"But that will attract wild animals," Midorima looked around nervously, like he expected a hyena jump out of the bushes towards him.

"Exactly," Kagami nodded. "They will take care of it. It's pointless to drag a corpse around when you can feed yourself and the savanna predators at once. A lion with a full stomach won't attack you as easily as a hungry one. Now, before I finish this, do you want to take a bath? Y'know, it's not good to go swimming after you've eaten."

"What? Why?" the seer asked, though he was already about to nod in agreement. Yes, he could use a bath, that was true. He wanted one for quite long, but this was his very first chance since he left his hometown.

"You'll be less tasty for the crocodiles," the redhead answered. Midorima turned on his heel: "What?!" Kagami looked at him again and chuckled, seeing the green-haired one so nervous. "Relax, there are no crocodiles in this water. I checked." _Plus you could hardly have crocodiles out here in the plains, _he thought in addition, but he didn't say it aloud, he only sighed: "But really, if you want to go and wash yourself, do it while the food's not done yet."

"... Sure." Midorima finally nodded and turned around to do what he's been wanting for so long. The stream was not far and so he was there in no time; looking around to ensure there are really no wild animals (such as crocodiles - what Kagami joked about really startled him, more than he was willing to admit), he un-bandaged his palms and feet and slowly undressed, folding the clothes neatly on the ground.

When he stepped into the water, he clenched his teeth. The water temperature was bearable, but it stung, his feet were bruised and it was a wonder that the herbs that Kagami used when he found out actually worked against infection that would surely get much worse than it already became. Now it was already gone, in mere three days - as said before, it was a miracle. However, the scratches were still there and they didn't like the sudden exposure to the water. But this kind of pain was fine, it meant that it was healing. Plus his hands weren't in as bad condition as his feet, so they were already almost healed.

He resisted the urge to just fall in the water ans scratch his skin hard so that he would scrub away every little grain of sand remaining on his body. He hated the feeling of being so _dirty_, though he would never express it on his behavior or face, not whan Kagami was around. That redhead, that irritating redhead, would make the best out of it, Midorima was _sure_. Because he loved teasing the seer whenever he's gotten the chance. Or rather, he loved to scare Midorima. Though they met each other just a while ago, Midorima quickly learned he's defenceless against Kagami's continual attempts to startle him over and over. It was the nomad's idea of fun, and Midorima disliked that. He also hated how Kagami tended to boss Midorima around, though Midorima didn't doubt that he's actually smarter than Kagami. And there was the fact that the nomad seemed like he's in fact really rowdy, meaning exactly the type of person that Midorima disliked, and was hiding it for some reason.

Plus there were the _stares. _Nobody else in the whole freaking world was able to stare like Kagami. There sure were people with piercing gazes, people whose eyes froze you on the spot and people whose looks made you shiver. But Kagami's glare was _devouring Midorima's flesh. _And Midorima couldn't help but feel in danger. The fact that none of his prophecies agreed with his fear made him think that he's lost his powers to foresee the future, and that thought alone was frustrating. He sighed and bent over, washing away the dust in his hair.

He straightened up and suddenly felt a chill run down his spine; he slowly turned around, already knowing whom he was going to see at the river bank. Kagami was sitting on the ground, staring again at Midorima's svelte form. The green-haired male who was hip-deep in the water, took subconsciously a small step back. "What?"

"Nothing. The food's done," Kagami shrugged his broad shoulders, causing an impressive wave motion of his cape.

"Stop staring at me like that!" Midorima felt another weird chill.

"Like what?"

"Like you're hungry - oh Gods!" Midorima's face visibly paled. "Kagami - there's - there's a lion behind you!" He took another step back. At the same time Kagami slowly and calmly turned around to face the giant cat that was there, ready to jump.


	3. Chapter 3

**Yeah, I know, I'm too obvious.**

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><p><strong>Feast on his Flesh<strong>

Midorima was following the stream, running blindly forward, naked as he was before the lion attacked. He was so scared he couldn't control himself. He saw how the lion tackled Kagami on the ground... and that was all he needed to freak out, because he wanted to save himself. The self-preservation instinct acted before his brain did, and so now he was on his way to safety, supposing that Kagami can't be saved. And Midorima... he's never needed to fight, so he was unable to save Kagami anyway.

Panting, he stopped, the water cooling off his feet. He looked around; it didn't seem like there were any predators around. "Thank Goodness," he exhaled in relief. Looking down on his body, he sighed, seeing his own nudity. "Well then, first of all -" he started, but never got to finish the sentence. Several lions appeared between the bushes and started surrounding him. He had nowhere to run, his feet froze on the spot and his knees gave in, so he sat in the shallow water and closed his eyes. He gave in, he was ready to let the lions devour him.

But nothing was happening, and so he raised his eyelids again, just in time to see a majestic creature approach him. It was a cat-like animal, similar to a lion or to the big cat that was called a tiger and that Midorima knew from books, but that cat could hardly be here, and moreover, this one looked different. Like somebody mixed those two, the tiger and the lion, and added size and muscles. Its fur was reddish and there were faintly visible lighter stripes on its back, it looked beautiful, but as a seer Midorima coud sense it's a supernatural being. He closed his eyes again when the animal stepped so close it was touching him, and when he got pushed down on his back, to the shallow water, he didn't look.

Until he felt big, rough, warm palms on his skin.

He jolted up in surprise when he saw it was Kagami, currently naked, too. "Oi, Kagami, what do you think you're - Oh my God," his protest ended with a gasp. His first reaction was something he kind of developed because of their stay together, and it somehow didn't hit him right away that he originally thought Kagami was dead. He looked into the nomad's eyes and jerked back when he noticed that his pupils are narrowed, like a cat's. "You..." he whispered in pure horror and tried to move way further, but Kagami grabbed his wrist. "You were that..." Midorima was not able to finish. Now, now he understood everything. Why was Kagami so familiar with the steppes. Where and how did he get the meat in such state. The hungry stares that were following Midorima on his every single step. How he even found the seer in the wasteland. "Why..." he started once more, but he couldn't, just couldn't say anything. He _knew _that this guy was dangerous. He knew his song has ended.

"I'm not gonna kill you," Kagami pushed Midorima on the sand again. "Though you _do _look very tasty," he added in a low purr and slowly leaned down. While he was talking, his long canine teeth were showing, and Midorima was getting paler and paler. "You... what do you want from me?" he whispered, surprised that his voice wasn't shaking at all.

"I want you." It was a simple answer, but Midorima didn't understand why would Kagami want the seer. "What for?" he asked slowly, not being sure whether he's going to like the answer. Kagami chuckled. "I don't know if I should show you before you the pride accepts you, so I'll only tell you for now." His lips touched Midorima's ear and he started whispering. The seer felt Kagami's hot breath and he heard words that should never be interpreted again, each of them was like a black velvet rose petal that burned even with the slightest touch, even listening to Kagami's words was a sin. And though Midorima wasn't really religious, he felt like he's being de-flowered by those wicked syllables alone. When Kagami stopped, Midorima's arms fell limp in the water. He was flushed deep red, his chest was rising and falling rapidly, he was panting and his pupils were blown wide. He felt his own heartbeat, he could hear it, it was fast, much faster than usual.

"I didn't... didn't even know guys _can_ do that together," he gasped, trying to focus his eyes to look at Kagami's face.

"For somebody as rude as you, you're pretty innocent," the redhead said. By now, his face was lacking the bestial features, he looked like a human again, but when Midorima tried to struggle in an attempt to wriggle out of his grasp, he found himself pinned hard to the sand below him, and he couldn't move at all. Kagami was surprisingly strong, he had no big problems with holding Midorima down."What will happen to me if I refuse?" he said, his face as red as before, but he felt that the tingling in his nether regions was fading. Good, he wouldn't want to get an erection in front of this guy.

"As I said, we're not going to kill you," Kagami said. "And I'm not going to force you. But if you refuse, I'll leave you here."

"But you said that you were not going to break your oath," what the first thing that got on Midorima's mind.

"Yep. But I have only sworn that I'll get you out of the area you were in when we met." Kagami's face was serious. As Midorima was watching the shape-shifter, he started realising that Kagami has got his own rules and nobody can twist them. When Kagami said he was right, he was right _and may the Gods stay with you if you disagree_. But he didn't seem like a person whose company Midorima wouldn't be able to bear.

"But think about it. If you join me, and I'm not talking about _mating_ right now," Kagami chuckled, seeing how Midorima twitched at the word, "you will live a totally different life. I mean, a better one. Every single lion around here is under my command. I am their leader, they can't disobey me. That could also go for you. Just imagine..." he purred again, as he narrowed his eyes, "the lions would do everything they would be able to if you asked them. They would be constantly protecting you. We wouldn't have to be together much, you know, we could just meet up for _this_," he ran his fingers up Midorima's thigh.

Midorima's cheeks were painted red once again, but he decided to ignore it and asked: "Why me?"

"Do you wanna hear the truth, or a sweet lie?" the redhead responded with his face completely stoic.

"Tell me the truth," the seer demanded.

"I prefer humans to lions when mating. And you were the only human around the time I needed to find a partner. You told me not to feed you some sweet love bullshit, so..." Kagami answered, but before could Midorima react in any way, he continued: "But I have to admit that I took liking to you. Above all, I like your scent. It's so..." he licked his lips with a low purr. Then he coughed, slightly nervously. "You probably think it's weird, but it's very important to us animals."

"You don't seem like an animal to me," Midorima shook his head; though Kagami put it that way, that he thought his bestial side might be unpleasant for Midorima, the seer somehow found those silent, deep growls arousing. It was a secret he was going to keep, but he felt a sweet stab in his abdomen every time he heard Kagami purr.

"Oh, but as I've mentioned before, I need the pride to take you in, to see that you are going to be one of us, so... you might not like the ritual, that's why I'm telling you. What do you say then?"

Midorima looked up to Kagami's eyes. "Do whatever you think is necessary."

Kagami got up slowly, helping Midorima up, too. "They need to see that I'm superior to you - which is by the way something you should acknowledge, too. I need you to attack me."

Midorima gulped and nodded, he knew he could hardly land a hit on this guy, but he still jumped forward with his fist clenched. Kagami dodged and put his foot in Midorima's way, causing the other fall down, and before Midorima managed to move, he was pinned roughly to the ground, face-down. "Sorry," Kagami mumbled and grabbed Midorima's hair, and the seer cried out when he felt Kagami biting the skin on the back of his neck. He tried to free himself, but this was something the shape-shifter had practised a long time ago. A bite, equal to a grip, to hold down a naughty kitten or a rebellious cat lower in hierarchy. It wasn't meant to hurt, it was meant to show the others who's in charge. Midorima, however, felt a drop of blood trickle down his neck and was _sure _that this bite is going to leave a scar.

"Dunn ftruggle," Kagami said with his mouth still full. Midorima obeyed, and Kagami finally released his hold. "Shit, I bit too hard," he cussed and added. "Don't move. They've seen what just happened and they need to learn your smell."

The seer felt a few cold noses on his bare back and he shivered, it felt strange to have lions smell you and yet not intending to kill. Though he knew that his life wasn't in danger, he was still afraid, though. That's maybe why suddenly Kagami fell on all four above the lying Midorima and growled aggressively at one of the lions. The lion backed down with tail between his legs and Kagami silently swore. "I'm not giving you to any of them. They would eat you. Sorry for that, though. Are you okay?"

Midorima slowly and carefully got up with Kagami's help; his legs were a bit shaky. Kagami turned Midorima so that his chest was pressed against the seer's back, and he started licking away the blood. "You still need to make them respect you, though. They do see that you are mine," another satisfied purr followed, "but right now you are on the lowest point of the pride."


	4. Chapter 4

**To avoid confusion - we've jumped a bit forward in time and space - wibbly wobbly, timey wimey. Now we're in Midorima's hometown and... well, it's some time after Midorima got accepted by the lion pride. Oh and sorry, though I originally did want to write some smut, I decided not to. Don't hate me, _né~_  
><strong>

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><p><strong>Feast on his Flesh<strong>

There were some minor noises in the background from the street and the sun was about to set. Takao was cleaning the tables with a slight scowl on his face. Ever since Midorima disappeared, Takao's pub stopped flourishing. Midorima, though he was rude and stingy, was one of Takao's few friends and was kind enough to help Takao with his sales. Not manually, of course, but a prophecy telling people that stopping by Takao's shop would bring them luck, of course wrapped in some astrology bullshit... It was a cheat, but it helped and nor the gods, nor the stars ever complained. However, after that incident with the elephants Midorima had to leave the town with the mocking title of the Elephant Seer, and Takao... Takao lost a friend and his sales went rapidly down. Murmuring silently something rude, he continued cleaning. When somebody entered the bar, he looked up. "A glass of your special drink, please," the stranger said; he was tall and had a sleeveless robe and a hood that was hiding his face in shadows.

"Sorry, I serve that only to my friends. And I'd like to ask you to leave, since I was about to close for today." Takao's answer had a sharp edge, he was kind of tired and angry and because he was thinking of Midorima just a moment ago, his brain was filled with nostalgic thoughts. But wait - that voice... He looked up once more.

"Am I not a friend anymore?" the man said and took off his hood.

"What - _**MID**_-" Takao exclaimed, but Midorima quickly jumped forward and put his hand on Takao's mouth. "Keep it down, would you? I'm not even supposed to be here, you know it's... _I'm_ illegal." He smirked bitterly.

Takao nodded and ran to close the door; he locked it, then went to close all the curtains, then he finally took a deep breath and turned around. "What are you doing here, Midorima?" he said, not wanting to believe his own eyes. It had been a few months since his friend disappeared in the plains; Takao, knowing how useless Midorima was when it came to survival, assumed that the seer was already dead.

"I came to see you. I'm glad that you're doing well..." Midorima tilted his head to the side and smiled. Takao felt a chill run down his spine; the way Midorima said it, well... "What do you..." he started, but Midorima interrupted him: "I asked for the drink."

"Ah, yes." It was a non-alcoholic, refreshing beverage that Takao invented when he was still a kid; part of it was coconut milk and orange juice and some more stuff that made it taste really good and unique.

"This might be the very last time you see me," Midorima said suddenly. The glass that Takao was holding fell on the ground and broke. "What?" he looked at his friend, ignoring the sharp shards at his feet. "Then why would you even appear here?" he said, his throat painfully clenching.

"So that you know I'm not dead," Midorima said calmly. "I know you know me and so you thought I was not alive anymore. And to be honest, I really almost died."

Takao started collecting the pieces of the broken glass, asking: "What saved you, then?"

"Sorry, I can't tell you," Midorima shook his head. He looked to the left and walked over to the window, pushing the curtain slightly away. "We used to play in this yard. I'm going to miss all this stuff." Takao, who finished collecting the shards, looked up at Midorima, who was now facing the window, his back to Takao. The raven put the glass on the table and quickly went closer to take a better look. On the back of Midorima's neck, there was a deep scar, its color very different from the rest of the seer's milky, smooth skin. Only now Takao also noticed that Midorima's fingers and hands are bandaged and he was not wearing any shoes, he only had rags wrapped around them, probably all the way up to his knees. As he had his hand above his waist, stretched out to the window, Takao could see the muscles that Midorima didn't use to have, and what was more, there were scars that Takao never expected to see on this man. Scars that looked like scratches.

"What in the world were you doing out there?" he whispered in horror.

"Huh?" nostalgia disappeared from Midorima's face. "Well, lots of things. As I said before, I can't tell you. I'll just say this - though the whole plains from horizon to horizon are mine now, I don't belong to myself anymore."

"Is that why you said this is the last time we see each other?"

Midorima slowly nodded. "I have changed, haven't I," he sighed. Then, he looked outside. "It's sad. I have to leave any second now," he added and finally turned his face to Takao. "Do you happen to have any vegetable?" he said. "Though I have nearly everything I could ask for, all this time I've craved a carrot. Or something. Eating meat only is tiring."

* * *

><p>Biting his lip, Takao slowly followed Midorima, careful enough for Midorima not to notice him. He somehow couldn't understand what could change his friend so much. He had to see. Midorima, who was hidden in the shadows under his hood, hurried to the city walls much quicker than Takao would expect; it looked like there was something awaiting the seer, like it could disappear after it gets completely dark.<p>

They exchanged their goodbyes way too quickly, Takao wanted to at least know what was his friend getting into - after all, Midorima was concerned about Takao, too. And so, Takao went after him.

Midorima nodded at the guards that were at the city gates and he gave them something, then he passed through. Takao paused. Did Midorima just _bribe _the guards? Well, he witnessed that and if he wants to go out, he can use that. Going closer, he waved at one of the soldiers, and when he got their attention, he smiled brightly. "Gentlemen," he said, "I really need to go out there. Would you mind letting me go through the gate?"

"We are forbidden to let anyone through after the sunset," the one of the guards said.

"Oh, but you just did," Takao waved his hands. "And probably received a small parting gift from that person, too. Do you want me to report this? No? Well, then I suggest you let me do as I please."

They looked at each other and then the other said: "Okay, but it's not our fault if anything happens to you."

"Of course not," Takao shook his head and passed through the gate, leaving them behind.

In the dusk he could see Midorima's silhouette; the seer went much slower than before, cautiously nearing the bushes that were in front of him. Takao waited until he was sure that Midorima won't notice him, then he quickly ran to the bushes and started crawling forward, hiding behind the branches.

"I'm here, Kagami," Midorima said.

Nothing moved, and yet suddenly, a tall man was standing in front of the seer. He was a tad shorter than Midorima, but that didn't really matter. He seemed bigger in his soul, like when he appeared, everything around him was in his light. "I almost thought you've forgotten about us," he chuckled and stepped closer to the green-haired man. "How could I, possibly," Midorima shook his head.

"Well, welcome back, Midorima. Been a long time. I missed ya." Kagami closed the remaining distance between them; his hands grabbed Midorima's waist and Kagami brushed his lips over Midorima's, then he sweetly kissed the seer. Shortly after that, he broke the contact of their lips, saying: "Bleh. You ate something like vegetables, didn't you." Before the other could answer, the nomad pressed their lips together again. It was obviously Kagami taking the initiative, but Midorima didn't seem to dislike it. The seer's fingers dug into the other's shirt, and as they kept on kissing, his knees were about to give in, Kagami's kiss was long and Midorima started lacking air. Takao watched the whole scene with eyes widened in surprise. He would never expect a guys as proud as Midorima to willingly succumb to anyone.

Kagami's hands slowly moved again, and Midorima moaned through his nose when Kagami squeezed his butt. "Uh, wait," the seer said once he managed to free his lips. Despite he said that, he was clinging to Kagami like he couldn't even stand on his own.

"What?" Kagami looked at him. "Is it about the peeping Tom over there?" he nodded towards the place where Takao was hiding. Takao's heart skipped a beat. "I can ask the guys to take care of him."

"No, he's my friend. And yes, he _is _one of the reasons. But really, to do _that _the first thing you see me? Oh, come on. We're too close to the city."

Kagami sighed and stepped away from Midorima, snapping his fingers loudly.

And Takao, who was already about to run away, heard a loud growl behind his back. He turned around and saw a lion, a huge one, baring its teeth at him. He got up more quickly than he'd think he was ever able to, backing down. He threw a short look over his shoulder towards Midorima, was the lion the only one here? No, wait, Takao was not the only one in danger, there appeared more lions and they started surrounding the couple, too. It seemed like there was no way to - and Takao was suddenly tackled on the ground, the lion above him and growling again. He closed hie eyes, not wanting to see his own end.

"Let go of him, girl. He's not your food," he could hear Midorima say. When he opened his eyes, the seer was holding the lion's mouth with his bare hands and looking at the terrifying animal like at a naughty child. The lion whined, but really got off and with its - no, her - tail between her legs she disappeared among the other lions.

"Are you okay?" the seer said and reached out his hand to help Takao get up. The raven was still shaken and though he got up with Midorima's help, he wasn't able to say a proper sentence. "What - how - who -"

Midorima sighed when Kagami stepped closer and embraced him from behind. "Well... Long story short, I became this guy's... property of sorts, which gives me control over the lions."

"I prefer the word _mate_," Kagami grumbled, nosing Midorima's neck. "And I keep telling you it's a wrong word," the seer retorted immediately. Takao looked at his friend: "Why? I have called you a mate couple of times, too."

"That's not the same," Midorima answered slowly, grabbing Kagami's wrist so tha this hand won't go any lower. "He means something different than you do. And I keep saying it's wrong because I can't get pregnant."

Takao jumped back. "So you two really - "

Kagami looked up. "Hmm? Yeah." Midorima, who felt like there had to be some explaining done, opened his mouth to say something, but before he did so, Takao blurted out: "Can two guys... Can that really happen?" When they both nodded, he continued. "Alright, then... I'm not gonna poke that matter anymore, I just want to know... What did you mean when you said that you can control lions?"

"Exactly what I said. I'm a part of this pride - this is my family now. And I'm right under Kagami, so I can give orders and they do as I say... unless it goes against what Kagami wants. He is the king here, I'm not anywhere near that."

"How do you even talk to them? And why do the lions listen to him?" asked Takao, who wanted to understand the situation more.

"I talk to them like I talk to you... and they understand. You know, they are much smarter than you think, smart enough not to let humans know about their intelligence. They have improved in many ways thanks to Kagami."

"Then why do the lions listen to him?" Takao repeated. Kagami's eyes gleamed in the dark and he let out a deep, brutish growl. "Do you really need to ask?" he whispered. "I'm letting you go 'cause you're his friend, but don't think I'm as patient as he is. Your questions are annoying."

Midorima sighed again and looked Takao in the eye: "Go home, my friend. I assure you I won't have any problems with surviving. I have everything I need. And if you happen to be in danger because of the lions," he added silently, "just say my name. Every single lion around here should know it by now. Just... don't tell anyone about this. For your own safety, don't."

"Caaaause if you do and more people will try it, it won't work," Kagami added, then he finally let go of Midorima. "I'm gonna gather the others, so say your goodbyes already. We're leaving." He turned around and disappeared in the dark.

Takao and Midorima looked at each other. "Who is he, really?" Takao said silently. "Half-lion, half-human, a shape-shifter," Midorima answered the same way. "I need to go," he nodded to where Kagami disappeared.

"Yeah. Don't let him ruin you. Right... so... I hope we'll meet again. Bye," Takao cleared his throat; he felt his eyes burning, he knew he was about to cry like a small child, and so he quickly waved his hand and once Midorima said "Goodbye," he turned away and slowly left for his home.

Midorima, whose night eyesight became much better since he started living with the lions, watched his friend for a while. "I'm gonna miss him."

"But the whole pride would miss ya if ya went with him," Kagami answered from the shadows.

"That's a lie. Only you would miss my ass, and that's it."

"You sure?" Kagami chuckled and appearing in the light, he grabbed Midorima's hand. "Let's go. The plains await us," he whispered softly.

And Midorima let himself be guided into he night.


End file.
